"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." ~Socrates

My husband is from Guernsey, WY. A quaint little village whose main
source of income is the National Guard camp. The houses are all
trailers or glorified trailers called "modulars". For everything that
doesn't happen in my hometown of Lusk, even less happens here...with
the exception of summer camp when reserves from all over the country
flood into town, which is probably the only way the town survives
economically for the year.

So, can you imagine how it must of been for the town when one of it's
former villagers is all over the news for child abuse? Yes, he was a
priest and he was one of the few to actually face criminal penalties
for his actions. The more - for lack of a better word - intriguing part
about it was that the priest didn't admit to sexual abuse, but stated
what he did (bind them naked, physically torture their
testicles/penises, while forcing them to pray) was a religious
test/initiation type ritual and the sect of the Catholic Church to
which he was devout used such practices to discipline the soul.

This week, I started reading the DaVinci Code (yes, I really am the
last person on the planet to read it) and at the beginning it has a
fact page that reveals the following:



"The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic
sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of
brainwashing, coercion and a dangerous practice known as 'corporal
mortification.' Opus
Dei has just completed construction of a $47 National
Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City." ~Dan Brown



Now, the good father never admitted to this but it has long been
speculated around town. The rituals do match the sects ideas of
pennence for God. Torture for God? Seems contradictory to me...
Strangely, my husband knows the boys - now men - that brought forward the charges, but he has no clue as to who they really are. There are some secrets in Podunk that really can be kept just that, secret. It's for the best, I think, for the victims and the town patrons. I would rather die than have everyone in Lusk know who abused me repeatedly as a child, and I think Lusk would be happiest not knowing the truth of what one of their good people was truly capable of. Some things are just better kept in the dark.
Here's to at least one man getting the punishment he deserves...though a light sentence for his crimes, you can be assured they are being committed against him two fold.